TIKA opens 1st autism center in Mexico’s Jalisco state

By Sinan Dogan

MEXICO (AA) - The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA) announced Thursday that it has opened the first vocational training center for disadvantaged and autistic people between the ages of 15 and 45 in Guadalajara municipality in Mexico’s Jalisco state.

Jalisco, the country’s third most populous state, had a disabled population of 386,577 between the ages of 0-44 in 2020.

The autism center opened in cooperation with TIKA and Guadalajara municipality.

Within the scope of the project, it is expected to serve at least 1,000 people per month. TIKA provided materials and equipment for computer, textile, gardening, traditional piñata making, cleaning and pastry workshops.

The opening ceremony for the project was held on Oct. 5 with the participation of Ilhan Kemal Tug, the ambassador of Türkiye to Mexico, TIKA Mexico Program Coordinator Fatih Abdi Cetin, Maye Villa Lemus, the president of the Guadalajara Institution for the Advancement of the Family, and Pablo Lemus Navarro, the mayor of Guadalajara.